Steve calls on Government and Birmingham City Council to do more for West Midlands’ homeless

Steve has learnt that the number of people in the UK made homeless has reached 12,830 over the last three months.

Figures released today by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), revealed 12,830 people were made homeless over the periodof October to December 2011. During the same period in 2010, that figure stood at 10,870; a rise of 15.2%.

The number of people made homeless has steadily increased since mid-2010, after the Coalition Government came to power.

The National Housing Federation warned in December last year of a growing “housing crisis”. Rising rents and a lack of affordable housing have caused the waiting list for social housing to increase by a phenomenal 64% over the last decade.

Steve said “The Government’s Housing policies are failing and Osborne’s mismanagement of the economy is making the problem worse
“The Government are building fewer houses than ever before. We need more affordable housing for homeless families, many of whom are in temporary accommodation and cannot afford to rent privately.

“Under our Five Point Plan for the economy, Labour would build 25,000 affordable houses by taxing bankers’ bonuses. If Britain fails to tackle this impending housing crisis, we will be faced with many more homeless families”.